Garment



S. C. LA BUE July 16, 1957 GARMENT Filed Aug. 5. 1954 GARMENT Seraphina C. La Rue, New York, N. Y., assignor to The Warner Brothers Company, Bridgeport, Conn., a corporation of Connecticut Application August 5, 1954, Serial No. 447,980

8 Claims. (Cl. 2-42) This invention relates to womens undergarments and more particularly to such garments generally, though not necessarily, classified as brassieres which include suitable material such as wires for enhancing the bust supporting and confining effect thereof.

It has been a long sought goal to provide a garment, such as a brassiere or having a brassiere portion, for supporting and confining the bust of a wearer, the construction of which includes inserts of wire or other material for augmenting the desired characteristics thereof while at the same time providing a garment so readily conformable to the body contours of the wearer that maximum support, among other things, is attained with complete comfort. The trend toward so-called strapless garments has increased the difliculties in attaining such desiderata by even further increasing the need for such garments to closely hug the body of the wearer.

Wires or other support members have been utilized in such garments of the strapless variety as well as those provided with straps, and while some of the problems posed in the construction of the garments are even more difiicult of solution in connection with strapless garments, there are problems common to both general varieties. Such garments, whether made with or without straps, to be wholly satisfactory should maintain contact at least about their periphery with the body of the wearer and not tend to fall away. This is particularly the case with respect to those portions of the garment which cover the upper portions of the wearers bust. However, to avoid discomfort this must be accomplished without digging or cutting into the flesh of the wearer. Considerable discomfort may result from excessive confinement since movement by the wearer may cause or require movement of the wearers bust which if unduly impeded would render the garment unwearable.

A general problem encountered in the construction of the strapless type of garment, intensified by the absence of shoulder straps, relates to the difliculty of constructing the garment so as to prevent it from slipping vertically without rendering it so confining as to cause discomfort to the wearer.

It is therefore a principal object of this invention to provide a garment such as a brassiere for supporting and confining the bust of the wearer having a construction which combines with improved supporting and confining properties the highly desired characteristics of comfort and freedom of movement to an enhanced degree.

Another object is to provide such a garment having inserts of wire which closely conform to the contours of the wearer without requiring bending or other deformation of the wire elements to conform the same to each United States Patent degree of flexibility in all directions.

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breast cup, and the other opening downward with its midportion extending along the upper periphery of the cup. The two channels of each cup are substantially in opposed relation with the lower channel overlapping and extending outwardly and upwardly beyond the extremities of the upper channel. U-shaped flexible wire frame members extend one 'in each of the lower channels. A pair of serpentine wire members extend one in each of the upper channels. Each of these serpentine wire members is universally flexible, i. e., each is characterized by a high Being independent of and considerably more flexible than the lower U-shaped frame members, the end portions of the serpentine wire members become substantially anchored to the opposite sides of the associated wire frame member below the median line of the cup. Thus, while the serpentine wire members are each free to flex from front to rear about a substantially horizontal axis, their resiliency tends to gently resist such flexion and thus serves to conform the upper portion of each cup to the person of the wearer.

Further objects as well as advantages of this invention will be apparent from the following description thereof when read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figures 1 and 2 are, respectively, front and rear elevational views of a brassiere made in accordance with this invent-ion and partially broken away for convenience;

Figure 3 is a sectional view along the line 33 of Figure 1;

Figure 4 is a sectional view along the line 4-4 of Figure 2; and

Figure 5 is a side elevational view of a portion of one of the serpentine upper wire members.

The present invention will now be described in detail in conjunction with one preferred embodiment thereof which is in the form of a brassiere. It is to be understood, however, that this invention is also applicable to such garments which may include a portion which functions as a brassiere.

Referring now to the drawings in detail, brassiere 10 comprises body-encircling side band portions 11, 12 which may be of any suitable material. Preferably, the side band portions include horizontal elastic threads which provide a high degree of horizontal elasticity thereto. Suitable fastening devices 13 are provided at the outer extremities of each of the side band portions 11 and 12 to permit them to be fastened in the usual way along the back of the wearer. All but the upper portion of the inner extremity of each of the side band portions 11, 12 is joined to one end of a yoke portion 14 having a pair of spaced upwardly presented indentations formed therein. The lower portion 14a of yoke 14 is backed by a ribbon of padded material 15 preferably having a layer of soft spongy material 16 which is doubled over or folded back upon itself to form a relatively narrow double thickness thereof in the vicinity of lower seam 17.

A pair of outwardly extending breast cups 1%, 19 are joined to yoke 14 in spaced side by side relation along its indentations. As shown in the drawings, the outer peripheral portion of each of the cups 18, 19 above the median line thereof is joined directly to the upper inner end portion of the respective side band portions 11, 12. The peripheral portion of each of the cups 18, 19 joined to yoke 14 and, respectively, to side band portions 11, 12 is backed by an arcuate band of suitably padded material 20. As most clearly shown in Figure 3, material forming a channel 21 is included between overlapped portions of yoke 14 and cup 19 on one side, and the backing material 20. Padded material 20 may preferably be of a high pile fabric and may itself form a channel in which soft spongy material 20a extends. It will be observed that 3 each of the channels 21 extends from adjacent the upper median portion of yoke 14 to beyond the respective side of the yoke to the top of the respective side band portion. The inner end portions of the adjacent channels 21, while spaced from each other, are joined by the pliant material of yoke portion 14 and may be backed by additional soft padding, as indicated at 22.

A pair of resilient wire frame members 23 are inserted one in each of the channels 21. Wire frame members 23 are deformable and may be bent into the desired U-shape prior to insertion into their channels. It will be observed that the substantially U-shaped wire frame members 23 each extends along the lower peripheral portion of one of While the major portion of each the breast cups 18, 19. of the channels 21, and hence the wire members 23 extending therein, is seen to be connected directly to yoke portion 14, the outer end portion thereof which extends above the median line of its associated cup is seen to be joined directly to one of the side band portions 11, 12. This serves to insure that the outermost portion of each cup is continually maintained in close contact with the wearer.

Each of the breast cups 18, 19 has a second channel 24 which is also somewhat U-shaped but inverted so that the open ends thereof are each presented toward one of the U-shaped channels 21. The downwardly extending end portions of each of the channels 24 extend well within the U formed by the associated channel 21. The extremities of the material 25 forming each of the channels 24 may be stitched in with the seams forming the respective channels 21, which stitching may serve to close the ends of the channels 24.

A serpentine wire member 26 extends in each of the channels 24 and is highly flexible and relatively nondeformable. Serpentine wire members 26 are particularly highly flexible as compared to wire members 23. As most clearly shown in Figure 5, serpentine wire members 26 are formed by bending the wire of which it is made back and forth in its plane so as to form a substantially planar elongated member having substantially greater width than thickness. Such a serpentine wire member may be readily flexed edge-wise on itself substantially normal to its length in the plane of the drawing, as viewed, as well as sidewards about a vertical axis extending parallel to the drawing. The wire member 26 has been enlarged about five times in Figure 5 for the purpose of illustrating the same. In practice, the adjacent bends of the wire are sufficiently close together to provide the wire member with a relatively fiat surface free of projections which would tend to dig or cut into the person of the wearer. Unlike the wire frame members 23 which retain their U-shape even when removed from their channels and left free, serpentine wire members as soon as they are freed from their restraining channels become substantially straight and fiat again.

When inserted in its channel 24, the now U-shaped member 26 extends with its relatively wide side surfaces substantially parallel to a contour line of its breast cup 18 or 19, respectively. Thus the upper central portions of the serpentine wire members 26 are inclined obliquely downward and serve to impart a similar inclination to the upper peripheral portion of the cup. The outer end portions of each of the serpentine wire members 26 extend substantially vertically and are inclined downwardly from rear to front. It is apparent, then, that in addition to being highly flexible in all directions, the serpentine wire members 26 are disposed in the garment so as to have their flat surfaces conform to the upper portion of each breast over which they extend.

As has been previously indicated, the median portion of the serpentine wire members 26 extends along the upper central peripheral portion of its cup. The upper periphery of each of the cups 18, 19 diverges from its channel 24 and serpentine wire member 26 on either side of the vertical median line of the cup and extends laterally and downwardly to join with the respective ends of the channels 21. It is seen, then, that the outwardly extending upper periphery of the cups is joined to both the upwardly presented outer ends of its channel 21 and the top of its associated side band portion 11 or 12. Each of the cups is thus provided with corresponding inner and outer side panel portions 27, 28, both of which extend between the wire members 23 and 26.

When the garment is worn, the serpentine wire memhere 26 follow the contours of the wearer and extend in a plane inclined to that of the wire members 23. Due to their high degree of flexibility the serpentine wire members 26 readily flex and follow movements of the wearer. However, since the lower extremities of member 26 are anchored against front to rear motion by the walls of channel 24, each wire member 26 tends to resist, although lightly, flexion of its upper median portion out of its own plane, thereby serving to maintain the upper portion of the associated cup always in contact with the person of the wearer.

The terms and expressions which 1 have employed are used as terms of description and not of limitation, and I have no intention, in the use of such terms and expressions, of excluding any equivalents of the features shown and described or portions thereof, but recognize that various modifications are possible within the scope of the invention claimed.

What is claimed is:

l. A garment, comprising a pair of breast cups, a body-encircling portion interconnecting said breast cups one with the other, a first pair of resilient U-shaped wire members one extending along the lower peripheral portion of each of said breast cups, a second pair of resilient wire members substantially more yieldable than said first wire members and each extending in the form of an inverted substantially U-shape with its median portion extending along the upper median peripheral portion of one of said cups, said median portion of each of said second mentioned resilient wire members each being readily deflectable forwardly and rearwardly with respect to the corresponding one of said first mentioned wire members and urging the upper median peripheral portion of the cup associated therewith rearwardly, and the downwardly extending end portions of each of said second wire members extending within the open end and being spaced inwardly of the extremities of the associated one of said first wire members.

2. A garment, comprising a pair of breast cups, a bodyencircling portion interconnecting said breast cups one with the other, a first pair of resilient U-shaped wire members one extending along the lower peripheral portion of each of said breast cups, a pair of resilient highly flexible serpentine wire members each extending in the form of an inverted substantially U-shape with its median portion extending along the upper median peripheral portion of one of said cups, said median portion of each of said serpentine wire members each being readily defiectable forwardly and rearwardly with respect to the corresponding one of said first mentioned wire members and urging the upper median peripheral portion of the cup associated therewith rearwardly, and the downwardly extending end portions of each of said serpentine wire members extending within the open end and spaced inwardly of the extremities of the associated one of said first wire members.

3. A garment, comprising a pair of breast cups, a body-encircling portion interconnecting said breast cups one with the other, a first pair of resilient U-shaped wire members one extending along the lower peripheral portion of each of said breast cups, a pair of resilient highly flexible serpentine wire members each extending in the form of an inverted substantially U-shape with its median portion extending along the upper median peripheral portion of one of said cups, the downwardly extending end portions of each of said serpentine wire members extending within the open end and spaced inwardly of the extremities of the associated one of said first wire members to adjacent portions of the sides of said first wire members spaced from the ends thereof, and said serpentine wire members extending upwardly from said portions of the first wire members in a plane inclined forwardly with respect to that of said first wire members.

4. A garment, comprising a pair of breast cups each having a first generally U-shaped channel extending along the lower peripheral portion thereof and a second channel of inverted U-shape with its median portion extending along the upper median peripheral portion thereof, downwardly extending portions of each of said second channels being spaced inwardly of the peripheral portion of its cup and the upwardly presented extremities of the associated one of said first channels, a pair of resilient U-shaped wire members one extending in each of said first channels, and a pair of resilient highly flexible serpentine wire members one extending in each of said second channels and having a median portion readily defiectable forwardly and rearwardly with respect to the corresponding one of said first mentioned wire members and urging the upper median peripheral portion of the cup associated therewith rearwardly.

5. A garment, comprising a pair of breast cups, a yoke portion extending below said cups with a seam joining each cup to said yoke portion and forming a first U- shaped channel, each of said seams and the channels formed thereby extending along the periphery of one of said cups about the lower portion thereof to just above the horizontal median line thereof, each of said cups having a second channel of inverted U-shape the median portion of which extends along the upper median peripheral portion of the cup, downwardly extending portions of each of said second channels being spaced inwardly of the peripheral portion of its cup and the upwardly presented extremities of the associated one of said first channels, a pair of resilient U-shaped wire members one extending in each of said first channels, a pair of resilient highly flexible serpentine wire members one extending in each of said second channels, the second channels together with said first channels and the upper periphery of said cups defining a generally triangularly shaped inner and outer panel on each of said cups, and said panels in any one of said cups being disposed on either side and outwardly of said second channel and with an apex thereof substantially at the extremity of a respective end of the first channel.

6. A garment, comprising a pair of breast cups, a yoke portion extending below said cups, a pair of horizontally elastic side band portions having their outer extremities adapted to be fastened together and all but an upper portion of their inner extremities joined to opposite ends of said yoke portion, a seam joining each cup to said yoke portion and to said upper portion of the inner extremity of one of said side band portions and forming a first U-shaped channel, each of said seams and the channels formed thereby extending along the periphery of one of said cups about the lower portion thereof to just above the horizontal median line thereof, each of said cups having a second channel of inverted U-shape the median portion of which extends along the upper median peripheral portion of the cup, downwardly extending portions of each of said second channels being spaced inwardly of the peripheral portion of its cup and the upwardly presented extremities of the associated one of said first channels, a pair of resilient U-shaped wire members one extending in each of said first channels, a pair of resilient highly flexible serpentine wire members one extending in each of said second channels, the second channels together with. said first channels and the upper periphery of said cups defining a generally triangularly shaped inner and outer panel on each of said cups, said panels in any one of said cups being disposed on either side and outwardly of said second channel and with an apex thereof substantially at the extremity of respective ends of the first channel, and said apex of each of the outer ones of said panels being also disposed at substantially the apex of the upper portion of the inner extremity of the respective one of said side band portions.

7. A garment, comprising a pair of breast cups, a body-encircling portion interconnecting said breast cups one with the other, a first pair of mutually independent resilient U-shaped wire members one extending along the lower peripheral portion of each of said breast cups, a second pair of mutually independent resilient wire members substantially more yieldable than said first wire members and each extending in the form of an inverted substantially U-shape with its median portion extending along the upper median peripheral portion of one of said cups, and the downwardly extending end portions of each of said second wire members extending within the open end and being spaced inwardly of the extremities of the associated one of said first wire members.

8. A garment, comprising a pair of breast cups, a body-encircling portion interconnecting said breast cups one with the other, a first pair of mutually independent resilient U-shaped wire members one extending along the lower peripheral portion of each of said breast cups, a second pair of mutually independent resilient wire members substantially more yieldable than said first wire members and each extending in the form of an inverted substantially U-shape with its median portion extending along the upper median peripheral portion of one of said cups, the downwardly extending end portions of each of said second wire members extending within the open end and being spaced inwardly of the extremities of the associated one of said first wire members, said first wire members each being relatively rigid as compared to said second wire members, and said downwardly extending end portions of each of said second wire members terminating adjacent to but short of the associated one of said first wire members.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,520,009 Kramer Aug. 22, 1950 2,532,375 Sider Dec. 5, 1950 FOREIGN PATENTS 1,026,493 France Feb. 4, 1953 1,047,512 France July 22, 1953 

